Cancer Pain Management

Despite high prevalence, pain seen with advancing age remains undertreated. In this chapter we present a brief discussion of the epidemiology of pain in older persons, contributors to under-treatment, age differences in pain thresholds and tolerance and appropriate assessment suitable for seniors with and without dementia. Pain management approaches are also reviewed, including the importance of non-pharmacological approaches as well as a review of pharmacological guidelines recently published by the American Geriatrics Society.